"You!" A raw and sharp growl echoed into the elevator and Sarina stepped backwards, her back almost slamming against the glass walls of the elevator.
Leonard Kane...how could he be here?
'Oh God, he said he never ever wanted to see me again!'
Alpha Kane's eyes locked onto hers, shock flashing openly before it hardened into something far more dangerous as he stepped into the elevator his presence filled the confined space completely and the doors slid shut behind him with a soft ding, sealing them inside together.
He caged her in without touching her, one hand braced beside her head, his towering frame blocking any possible escape.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded.
Her heart slammed violently against her chest as his voice, hot and angry settled into her ears.
Though she had told herself she would never let herself meet him again, in some moments she had imagined this...meeting him again unexpectedly.
She had wondered what would happen if she ever saw him again, but she had never truly prepared for it, because she had never believed it would actually happen.
Her throat went dry and words refused to come.
"I..." she faltered, forcing herself to stay calm. "I don't know what you're talking about, sir."
He had told her he never wanted to see her again right? It was best she pretended never to have met him before, like that night had never happened.
He scoffed, low and disdainful.
"Don't insult my intelligence, Sarina Dawson." he said coldly.
Her breath hitched.
Her name...
He knew her name?
That night he hadn't even known who she was even though she had known him for years. A wolfless nobody in his pack, of course he wouldn't see her even if she saw no one else but him back then. But all of that was over now.
However, hearing her name from him...it felt like a blade twisting deep into her chest.
Sarina Dawson.
The name she had once carried with pride. The name that had been stripped from her the night her life fell apart.
Had he asked for her name just to know the woman he believed had deceived him?
His jaw tightened as he stared down at her. Every familiar feature on her face he remembered very vividly, this woman's image had haunted his dreams, his reality, he had never been able to get her out of his mind.
He could remember that one time he'd sent out men to search for her, against his better judgment.
After nights of restless thoughts and unanswered questions, he had done the one thing he had sworn he wouldn't, he had asked his beta to give him every information about her, and Tim had told him everything, she was the daughter of his late father's beta.
Everyone said she was a quiet girl. She was barely seen. Many didn't even know she existed.
She was a nobody in his pack and yet she had somehow managed to entangle herself in his life in the worst possible way.
Had she really drugged him to get into his bed out of greed because she was after his money?
"Why are you here?" He demanded, his eyes narrowing. "You saw the ad, didn't you? You came running straight to my hotel to try again after you failed two years ago. Are you that desperate to have me? Are you that desperate for my money?"
It had to be it, if she was really after his money this was the perfect moment for her to return for it.
Each word he said struck her like a slap. For a moment she was silent, but something inside her snapped.
"Stop thinking so highly of yourself, Alpha Kane."
Her voice cut through the air, sharp and steady, unyielding. She dropped the act of trying to pretend not to know him, there was no point anymore.
His eyes flickered slightly at her words, surprise in his silver eyes.
"Trust me, I lost all interest, and all respect for you the moment you destroyed my life."
Back then, she had held a candle quietly for him, but he ended up believing everything when Emily and her father lied to him about the fact that she'd drugged him.
It still hurt, her vision blurred and tears welled up despite her efforts to hold them back.
Because once the memories started coming back to her, they didn't stop.
All those moments she had silently been by his side and he never really saw her until that night, the cold and disgusted look in his eyes as he looked at her with hatred.
She'd lost her family, lost the right to remain in a pack. She had wandered the woods barefoot until she stumbled out into a human city. She could recall being drenched in the rain, her footsteps heavy, cold had engulfed her entirely and eventually she had passed out on the streets. If Hailey and her brother hadn't found her lying there, she would have died.
The hurt in her eyes stopped him dead, the anger in his gaze stiffened. That sad look on her face caused his heart to wrench tightly.
Why was the sight of her tears making his heart hurt so painfully?
"I'm only here because I work here, in housekeeping." She explained. "It doesn't matter to me who owns this hotel, I'll focus on my job and rest assured, you won't have to see my face. I will stay out of your path and please stay out of mine."
There was distance in her gaze now, a very cold distance.
Leonard was struck by her words and the look in her eyes, his wolf suddenly became restless, pushing towards the surface as he felt a familiar ache in his chest. The ache one felt towards one person alone if they were in pain.
A mate...
Why was he having these feelings for her if she wasn't his mate? Her scent was irresistible to him, her pain made him hurt equally, he tightened his hands into fists resisting the urge to wipe her tears and draw her into his arms.
She moved to leave pushing at his chest but her foot suddenly caught on the loose strap of her shoe.
"Ah...!"
Her body lurched forward and before she could fall, his arms wrapped around her waist instinctively pulling her against him.
Sarina almost tripped, it all happened so suddenly and her hand already reached forward to steady herself but he suddenly caught her around the waist, accidentally she grabbed his shirt and his buttons tore open, the fabric of his shirt pulled open under her grip.
Her scent assaulted him again and his wolf growled in his head.
'Claim her! She's ours!'
'She is not our mate Revan!'
Ding.
The elevator doors suddenly slid open and everything shattered.
Right outside the elevator, Elena Hastings along with several staff members, all stood frozen, all staring, because what they saw was unmistakable.
The powerful Alpha of Blue Moon Pack was holding a woman close her hands gripping his shirt, his chest exposed, her body pressed against his.
It looked, intimate.
This only meant one thing...
Elena's expression darkened instantly.
Shock surfaced in her eyes, this man hadn't even looked at her a while ago, yet here he was already with this...
Her gaze narrowed onto Sarina, and something ugly reared its head within her,
Jealousy.
Sarina stood frozen in his arms, her heart pounding before she suddenly tried to push out of his arms but he held onto her, his arms tightening even more around her waist.
Shocked gasps echoed outside the elevator.
